Mount St. Bernard with the pleasing accompaniments of wind, rain,
thunder, and lightning. But the irrepressible Americans went on in spite
of warnings from more prudent travellers who stopped half-way. With one
mule and a guide for escort, the two enthusiasts waded swollen streams
with ice-cold water up to their knees, climbed slippery roads, faced
what seemed a whirlwind at that height, and, undaunted by the uproar of
the elements, pressed on to the Hospice, to the great admiration of
Moritz, the guide, who told them he had seldom taken men up in such a
storm, never ladies.
At the Hospice the dripping lasses found a hospitable welcome from the
handsome monk who does the honours there. Being provided with dry
garments, and having much fun over the tall Matilda draped in skirts of
many colours in the attempt to get any long enough, they were fed and
warmed by the engaging monk, who entertained them as they sat about a
roaring fire while the storm raged without, with thrilling tales of the
travellers they had saved, the wild adventures they had known in the
dreadful winter time, and the gifts bestowed upon them by grateful
travellers or generous guests.
The Prince of Wales had sent them a piano, and many fine pictures
ornamented the walls from famous persons. An old English lady who spends
her summers up there seemed much amused at the prank of the girls, and
evidently wondered what their guardians were about.
A merry and memorable evening; and when, on going to their cells, they
found the beds nicely warmed, Matilda exclaimed,--
'This is the most delightful of the romantic and the comfortable I ever
saw. Alps and warming-pans taken "jintly" are delicious!'
At five next morning they were wakened by the chanting of the invisible
brotherhood, and went down to the chapel for mass. On going out for a
clamber on the rocks, seven or eight great dogs came baying and leaping
about them, licking their hands and smelling their garments to see if
they were hurt. Looking into their bright, benevolent eyes, one could
well believe the wonderful tales told of their courage and sagacity.
Though so powerful and large they were gentle as kittens, and the
dog-loving girls were proud to receive and return the caresses of these
four-footed heroes.
Leaving a grateful _souvenir_ in the box intended to receive whatever
guests choose to leave, the girls descended in the morning sunshine,
finding it a very different experience from the ascent. All was clear
and calm now,--beautiful and grand; and only pausing at M. to send back
a fine engraving to the comely priest, who had made a deep impression on
their romantic hearts, the _enfants_ returned to their anxious friends,
mildewed, rumpled, and weary, but full of enthusiastic delight over
their successful ascent of St. Bernard.
War broke out, and Alexandre, the all-accomplished head-waiter, dropped
his napkin, shouldered his gun, and marched away, leaving the Hôtel des
Bains desolate. Being pretty thoroughly baked, and very weary of the
little town, our trio departed to Vevey, and settled down in the best
_pension_ that ever received the weary traveller.
Standing in its own pretty grounds, and looking out upon the lake,
Pension Paradis deserves its name. Clean and cosy within, a good table,
a kindly hostess, and the jolliest old host ever seen! what more could
the human heart desire?
Vevey was swarming with refugees. Don Carlos, or the Duke de Madrid, as
he was called, was there with his Duchess and court, plotting heaven
knows what up at his villa, with the grave, shabby men who haunted the
town.
Queen Isabella reigned at one hotel, and Spanish grandees pervaded the
place. There were several at Pension Paradis, and no one guessed what
great creatures they were till a _fête_ day arrived, and the grim, gray
men blossomed out into counts, marquises, and generals covered with
orders, stars, and crosses splendid to behold.
One particularly silent, shabby little man with a shaven head and fine
black eyes, who was never seen to smile, became an object of interest on
that occasion by appearing in a gorgeous uniform with a great gilt
grasshopper hanging down his back from a broad green ribbon. Who was he?
What did the grasshopper mean? Where did he go to in a fine carriage,
and what was he plotting with the other Carlists, who dodged in and out
of his room at all hours?
No one ever knew, and all the artful questions put to the young
Spaniard, who played croquet with the girls, were unavailing. Nothing
was discovered, except that little Mirandola had a title, and might be
sent back to Spain any day to lose his life or liberty in some rash
plot, which circumstance made the black-eyed boy doubly interesting to
the free-born Americans. Lavinia bewailed his hard lot, Amanda taught
him whist and told his fortune, and Matilda put him in her sketch-book
done in the blackest India-ink. It is also to be recorded that the
doomed little Don was never seen to laugh but once, and that was when
the girls taught him the classical game of Muggins. The name struck him;
he went about saying it to himself, and on the first occasion of his
being 'mugginsed,' he was so tickled that he indulged in a hearty boy's
laugh; but immediately recovered himself, and never smiled again, as if
in penance for so forgetting his dignity.
A bashful Russian, who wore remarkably fine broadcloth and had perfect
manners, was likewise received into the good graces of the ladies, who
taught him English, called him 'the Baron' in private, and covered him
with confusion in public by making him talk at table.
But the most amusing of all the family was Madame A., a handsome widow
from Lyons, with two ugly children and a stout old mamma, who wore
orange stockings and a curious edifice of black lace encircled with
large purple asters. The widow had married an Italian artist, who was
mortally jealous of his wife, whose blonde beauty attracted much
attention at Rome. In some quarrel with a model the husband was stabbed,
and the handsome widow left in peace.
A tall, fair lady, with a profile like Marie Antoinette; she dressed in
white with violet ribbons, and wore much ancient jewelry. A loud-voiced,
energetic woman, who bewailed the sack of her house at Lyons, scolded
her children, and cursed the Germans with equal volubility and spirit.
When silent she was the picture of a patrician beauty; but, alas! her
voice destroyed the charm, and her manners--great heavens, what things
that woman did! Picking her pearly teeth with a hair-pin, and knocking
her darlings into their chairs with one sweep of her elbow when they
annoyed her at table, were the least of the horrors she perpetrated.
But she talked well, devoted herself to her family, and took misfortune
bravely; so much may be pardoned her.
Her infants were only remarkable for their ugliness and curious
costumes. The little girl usually wore soiled silk gowns, and had her
hair tied up with bits of twine. The boy appeared in a suit of yellow
calico spotted with black, looking very much like a canary bird who had
fallen into an inkstand. On festival occasions he wore white cloth
raiment, with red ribbons stuck here and there, and high red boots.
But, on the whole, the old mamma was the queerest of the set; for she
spent most of her time lumbering up and down stairs, which amusement
kept the orange hose constantly before the public. When not disporting
herself in this way, she dozed in the _salon_, or consumed much food at
table with a devotion that caused her to suck her fingers, on every one
of which shone an antique ring of price. Her head-gear was a perpetual
puzzle to the observing Lavinia, who could never discover whether it was
a cap, a bonnet, or a natural production, for it was never off. Madame
walked out in it, wore it all day, and very likely slept in it. At least
Lavinia firmly believed so, and often beguiled the watches of the night,
imagining the old soul placidly slumbering with the perennial asters
encircling her aged brow like a halo.
One other party there was who much amused the rest of the household. An
American lady with a sickly daughter, who would have been pretty but for
her affectation and sentimentality. The girl was engaged to a fierce,
dissipated little Russian, who presented her with a big bouquet every
morning, followed her about all day like a dog, and glared wrathfully at
any man who cast an eye upon the languishing damsel in white muslin and
flowing curls 'bedropt with pearls,' as a romantic lady expressed it.
It was evident that the Russian without any vowels in his name was going
to marry Mademoiselle for her money, and the weak Mamma was full of
satisfaction at the prospect. To others it seemed a doubtful bargain,
and much pity was felt for the feeble girl doomed to go to Russia with a
husband who had 'tyrant' written in every line of his bad, _blasé_
little face and figure. French polish could not hide the brute, nor any
quantity of flowers conceal the chain by which he was leading his new
serf away to bondage in St. Petersburg.
Into the midst of this select society came a countryman of our
three,--a jocund youth fresh from Algiers, with relics, adventures, and
tales that utterly eclipsed the 'Arabian Nights.' Festive times
followed, for the 'Peri' (the pet name of aforesaid youth) gave them the
fruits of his long wanderings, sung whole operas heard in Paris, danced
ballets seen in Berlin, recounted perils among the Moors, served up
gossip from the four corners of the globe, and conversed with each
member of the household in his or her own language.
A cheerful comrade was the 'Peri,' and a great addition to the party,
who now spent most of their time sitting about the town, eating grapes,
and listening to the pranks of this sprightly M.D., who seemed to be
studying his profession by wandering over Europe with a guitar _à la
troubadour_.
Sounding the lungs of a veiled princess in Morocco was the least of his
adventures, and the treasures he had collected supplied Lavinia with
materials for unlimited romances: cuff-buttons made from bits of marble
picked up among the ruins of Carthage; diamond crescents and ear-rings
bought in Toledo, so antique and splendid that relic-loving Amanda raved
about them; photographs of the _belles_ of Constantinople, Moorish coins
and pipes, bits of curious Indian embroidery; and, best of all, the
power of telling how each thing was found in so graphic a manner that
Eastern bazaars, ruins, and palaces seemed to rise before the listeners
as in the time of the magic story-tellers. But all too soon he packed
his knapsack, and promising to bring each of his friends the nose or ear
of one of the shattered saints from the great cathedral at Strasbourg,
the 'Peri' vanished from Paradis, and left them all lamenting.
The little flurry in Italy ending peacefully, our travellers after much
discussion resolved to cross the Alps and spend the winter in Rome, if
possible. So with tragic farewells from those they left behind them,
who, hoping to keep them longer, predicted all manner of misfortunes,
the three strong-minded ladies rumbled away in the _coupé_ of a
diligence to Brieg.
A lovely day's journey up the valley of the Rhone, and a short night's
rest in the queer little town at the foot of the mountains.
Before light the next morning they were called, and, after a hurried
breakfast in a stony hall, went shivering out into the darkness, and,
stumbling through the narrow street, came to the starting-point.
Lanterns were dancing about the square, two great diligences loomed up
before them, horses were tramping, men shouting, and eager travellers
scrambling for places. In the dimly lighted office, people were
clamouring for tickets, scolding at the delay, or grimly biding their
time in corners, with one eye asleep, and the other sharply watching the
conductor.
'Isn't it romantic?' cried Matilda, wide awake, and in a twitter of
excitement.
'It is frightfully cold; and I don't see how we are going, for both
those caravans are brimful,' croaked Lavinia, chafing her purple nose,
and wishing it had occurred to her to buy a muff before going to sunny
Italy.
'I have got through tickets, and some one is bound to see us over these
snow-banks, so "trust in Providence and the other man," and we shall
come out right, I assure you,' replied the energetic Amanda, who had
conferred with a spectral being in the darkness, and blindly put her
faith in him.
Away lumbered one diligence after the other, the first drawn by seven
horses, the second by five, while the carrier's little cart with one
brought up the rear. But still three muffled ladies sat upon a cool
stone in the dark square, waiting for the spectre to keep his promise.
He did like a man; for suddenly the doors of an old stable flew open,
and out rattled a comfortable carriage with a pair of stout little
horses jingling their bells, and a brisk driver, whose voice was
pleasant, as he touched his hat and invited the ladies to enter,
assuring them that they would soon overtake and pass the heavy
diligences before them.
'Never again will I doubt you, my Amanda,' cried the Raven, packing
herself into the dowager's corner with a grateful heart.
'I hope the top of this carriage opens, for I _must_ see _everything_,'
cried Matilda, prancing about on the front seat in a chaos of wraps,
books, bottles, and lunch-baskets.
'Of course it does, and when there is anything to see we will see it. It
is dark and cold now, so we'd better all go to sleep again.'
With which sage remark, Amanda burrowed into her cloaks and slumbered.
But not the other two. Matilda stuck her head out of one window,
uttering little cries of wonder and delight at all she saw; while Livy
watched the solemn stars pale one by one as the sky brightened, and felt
as if she were climbing up, out of a dark valley of weariness and pain,
into a new world full of grand repose.
Slowly winding higher and higher through the damp pine forest, softly
stirring in the morning wind, they saw the sky warm from its cold gray
to a rosy glow, making ready for the sun to rise as they never saw it
rise before.
'Full many a glorious morning have I seen,
Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye,'
but never more wonderfully than on that day. Long after the distant
peaks flamed in the ruddy light, they rode in shadow; but turning
suddenly round a corner, the sun came dazzling through a great gorge,
startling them with the splendour it brought.
Down went the carriage-top, and standing bolt upright, three pairs of
eager eyes drank in the grandeur and the beauty that makes the crossing
of the Simplon an experience to live for ever in the memory. Peak after
peak of the Bernese Oberland rose behind them, silver white against a
wonderful blue sky. Before them Monte Rosa, touched with the morning
red, and all around great glaciers glittering in the sunshine, awful
gorges with torrents thundering from the heights above, relics of
land-slides and avalanches still visible in uprooted trees, boulders
tumbled here and there, and ruins of shepherds' huts in solitary nooks
where sheep now feed.
The road crept in and out, over frail bridges, spanning chasms that made
one dizzy to look into, through tunnels of solid rock, or galleries with
windows over which poured waterfalls from the treacherous glaciers
above. This road is a miracle in itself, for all nature seems to protest
against it, and the elements never tire of trying to destroy it. Only a
Napoleon would have had the audacity to dream of such a path, and it is
truly a royal road into a lovely land.
Passing the diligences the little carriage went rapidly on, and soon
the three were almost alone. Out leaped Lavinia and Matilda, and walked
along the level way that curved round a great gorge.
'Go on and let me be. It is all so magnificent it almost takes my breath
away. I must just sit a minute, like a passive bucket, and let it pour
into me,' said Lavinia, in a solemn tone.
Mat understood; for her own heart and soul were full, and with a silent
kiss of sympathy, walked on, leaving her sister to enjoy that early mass
in a grander cathedral than any built with hands.
In spite of the sunshine it was very cold, and when the three met again
their noses looked like the eldest Miss Pecksniff's, 'as if Aurora had
nipped and tweaked it with her rosy fingers.' Subsiding into their
places with pale, excited faces, they went silently on for a long time,
with no sound but the chime of the bells on the horses who were covered
with a light hoar-frost. Wrapped up to their eyes, like Egyptian women,
sat Livy and Amanda; while Matilda, having tried to sketch Monte Rosa,
and given it up, made a capital caricature of them as they ate cold
chicken, and drank wine, in a primitive manner, out of the bottle.
It was a sudden descent from the sublime to the ridiculous; but the
feeble human mind cannot bear too much glory at once, and is saved by
the claims of the prosaic body, that will get tired and hungry even atop
of the everlasting hills. So the enthusiasts picked their chicken bones,
sipped their wine, and felt less exhausted and hysterical. A good laugh
over the carrier's little boy, who sniffed the banquet afar off, and
came running to offer a handful of pale Alpine flowers, with wistful
glances at the lunch, did them more good still: for the little chap
caught and bolted the morsels they gave him with such dexterous
rapidity, it was as good as juggling.
Refuges and the Hospice came in sight one after the other, and while
waiting to change horses one had time to wonder how the people living
there managed to be such a stolid, dirty, thriftless-looking set.
Mountaineers should be intelligent, active, and hardy; but these men
were a most ungainly crew, and Lavinia's theories got a sad blow.
A bad dinner at Simplon would have been an affliction at any other time;
but with the Valley of Gondo for dessert, no one cared for other food.
Following the wild stream that had worn its way between the immense
cliffs, they drove rapidly down towards Italy, feeling that this was a
fit gateway to the promised land.
At Iselle, on the frontier, they enacted a little farce for the benefit
of the custom-house officers. Lavinia and Amanda had old passports, and
had been told they would be needed. Mat had none, so she was ordered to
try the _rôle_ of maid. Before they arrived, she took out her ear-rings,
tied up her curls under a dingy veil, put on a waterproof, and tried to
assume the demure air of an Abigail.
When they alighted, she was left to guard the wraps in the carriage
while the others went with the luggage, expecting to have much trouble;
for all manner of hindrances had been predicted owing to the unsettled
state of the country. Nothing could be simpler, however; no passports
were demanded, a very careless search of luggage, and it was all over.
So Matilda threw off her disguise, and ascended the diligence in her
own character, for here, alas! they left the cozy little carriage with
the affable driver and the jingling bells.
Only two places could be found in the crowded diligences, and great was
the fuss till Amanda was invited up aloft by a friendly gentleman who
had a perch behind, large enough for two. There they discussed theology
and politics to their hearts' content, and at parting the worthy man cut
his book in two, and gave Amanda half that she might refresh herself
with a portion of some delightfully dry work on Druidical Remains,
Protoplasm, or the state of the church before the flood.
The force of contrast makes the charm of this entry into Italy; for,
after the grandeur of the Alps and the gloomy wildness of Gondo, the
smiling scene is doubly lovely as one drives down to Domo d'Ossola.
Weariness, hunger, and sleep were quite forgotten; and when our
travellers came to Lago Maggiore, glimmering in the moonlight, they
could only sigh for happiness, and look and look and look.
'Victory has perched upon our banners so far, I am sure, for never was a
trip more delightful. It is not every stranger who is fortunate enough
to see sunrise, noonday, sunset, and moonlight in crossing the Alps,'
said Matilda, as she fell into her bed quite exhausted by the excitement
of the day.
'I feel a richer, better woman for it, and don't believe I shall ever
see anything more satisfactory if I stay in Italy ten years,' responded
Lavinia, wrapping the red army-blanket
'Like a martial cloak around her.'
'Wait till the spell of Rome is upon you, and then see what you will
feel, my Granny' predicted Amanda, who _had_ felt the spell, and had not
yet escaped from it.
'Don't believe it will suit me half so well,' persisted Livy, who would
prefer nature to art, much to Amanda's disgust.
'We shall see,' observed Amanda, with the exasperating mildness of
superior knowledge.
'We shall!' and Livy tied her cap in a hard knot as if to settle the
matter.
V.
_ITALY._
Sleep as deep, dreamless, and refreshing as if the beneficent spirit of
Carlo Borromeo still haunted the enchanted lake, prepared the three for
a day of calm delights. The morning was spent floating over the lake in
a luxuriously cushioned boat with a gay awning and a picturesque rower,
to visit Isola Bella. Everyone knows what a little Paradise has been
made to blossom on that rock; so raptures over the flowers, the marbles,
the panniers of lovely fruit, and the dirty, pretty children who offered
them, are unnecessary.
In the afternoon, having despatched the luggage to Florence, our
travellers sailed away to Luini, catching last glimpses of Monte Rosa,
and enjoying the glories of an Italian sunset on an Italian lake. At
Luini the girls caused much excitement by insisting on sitting up with
the driver instead of sharing the _coupé_ with their decorous duenna.
'We _must_ see the lovely views and the moonlight,' said Amanda, and up
she went.
'To sit aloft with a brigandish driver dressed in a scarlet and black
uniform, with a curly horn slung over his shoulder, and to go tearing up
hill and down with four frisky horses, is irresistible,' and up skipped
Matilda.
'You will both catch your death of cold, if you don't break your necks,
so it will be well to have some one to nurse or bury you,' and Lavinia,
finding commands and entreaties vain, entered the _coupé_ with mournful
dignity.
With a toot of the horn, and cheers from the crowd, which the girls
gracefully acknowledged, away rumbled the diligence, with at least two
very happy occupants. How lovely it was! First, the soft twilight
wrapping everything in mysterious shadow, and then the slow uprising of
a glorious full moon, touching the commonest object with its magical
light. Cries of rapture from the girls atop were answered by
exclamations from Livy, hanging half out of the _coupé_ regardless of
night air, or raps on the head from overhanging boughs, as they went
climbing up woody hills, or dashing down steep roads that wound so
sharply round corners, it was a wonder the airy passengers did not fly
off at every lurch. Rattling into quiet little towns with a grand
'tootle-te-too' of the horn was an especial delight, and to see the
people gather so quickly that they seemed to spring from the ground. A
moment's chatter, a drink for the horses, a soft 'Felice notte,'
another toot, and away thundered the diligence for miles more of
moonlight, summer air, and the ecstasy of rapid motion.
What that dear, brown driver with the red vest, the bobtailed, buttony
coat, and the big yellow tassels dancing from his hat brim, thought of
those two American damsels we shall never know. But it may be imagined
that, after his first bewilderment, he enjoyed himself; for Amanda aired
her Italian and asked many questions. Matilda invited him to perform
national airs on all occasions, and both admired him as openly as if he
had been a pretty child.
Lavinia always cherished a dark suspicion that she narrowly escaped
destruction on that eventful night; for, judging from the frequent
melody, and the speed of the horses, she was sure that either Amanda
tooted and Matilda drove, or that both so bewildered the brigand that
he lost his head. However, it was all so delightful that even Granny
felt the charm, and was sure that if they did upset in some romantic
spot, a Doctor Antonio would spring up as quickly as a mushroom, and
mend their bones, marry one of her giddy charges, and end the affair in
the most appropriate manner.